Family Secrets
by Darke-Angyl
Summary: How many secrets can one town hold? The town of Forks will soon find out as Bella's cousin and her mother arrive in town for spring break. Rated M for possibility of things in future chapters. This is a co-authored story with XxMiniTulisaXx.
1. Chapter 1

Sabra Jennings was fourteen years old and the apple of her mother's eye. She had been taking care of her mother for the past two years... ever since the older woman had been diagnosed with cancer and could no longer do a lot of the things for herself that she should be able to. The previous year, the two of them had gone before a judge and gotten Sabra what was known as a hardship driver's license, meaning that Sabra was legally able to drive so that she could get her mother to and from the various treatments that she was in to try to cure her cancer or go to the grocery store or any other place that one or both of them needed to go.

Sabra sighed as she turned another page in her history book, attempting to get a little ahead of the rest of her class. She did her best to keep as far ahead in her studies as she could. She never knew when her mother would have a bad spell that would force her to have to take time off from school. She couldn't afford to let her grades slip... not if she wanted to be able to graduate with her friends in a few years. With that in mind, a lot of Sabra's free time was spent sitting at her desk.

Tasha Jennings hung up the telephone and walked into Sabra's bedroom, sighing softly. "That was your Uncle Charlie, sweetheart. Bella's in the hospital in Phoenix. She got in a fight with Edward and took off back to their house there. Edward and his father, Carlisle, convinced her to meet with them in their hotel room. She tripped on the stairs and fell down two flights as she was leaving. Lucky for her, they heard her scream and Carlisle's a doctor."

Sabra straightened up, closing her history book. She sighed, shaking her head. "Leave it to Bella." She stood up and helped her mother into the chair instead. "Is she okay?"

Tasha nodded, her face a little pale. "She's going to be in a walking cast for a while, and she has a concussion, but Renee said she's already awake and insisting on going back to Forks with Charlie and Edward instead of out to Florida with her and Phil."

Sabra rolled her eyes. "Bella always has been stubborn. I thought she hated Forks and missed the sun?" She had never understood why her cousin hated their parents' hometown so much. Personally, Sabra had always loved going to visit Uncle Charlie during her spring breaks and for a month every summer. The small town was a welcome change for her from the craziness of Philadelphia, which was the bustling city her dad was from and where her and her mother still called home.

Even after her husband, Robert, had died during a shoot out with two gang members robbing a convenient store when Sabra was nine, Tasha had made the decision to remain in Philadelphia instead of returning to Forks. She had worked two jobs to ensure that Sabra had everything she needed, refusing her brother's pleas to "come home where they belonged" so he could "take care of them". She had been determined to show Charlie, and everyone else, that she was capable of taking care of herself and her daughter without any outside help. She didn't need to rely on anyone else.

When Tasha had gotten sick and was no longer able to work as much, Sabra had stepped up with the same backbone her mother possessed. At the age of twelve, she had started babysitting, running a newspaper route, walking dogs... anything and everything that she could to make money and help out with the household expenses. Between the two of them, they had so far managed to maintain their small two bedroom home.

But now Tasha was getting worse, and it was getting harder to keep things running smoothly. Sabra was just ending up her eighth grade year of school and would be a freshman in the coming fall. She was having to take more and more time off from school in order to take care of her mother with her declining health, and what little spare time she had was taken up by working. It was wearing her out. She sighed as she thought about everything that seemed to be falling onto her shoulders. She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to keep up taking care of her mother, working, and going to school, too. Something was going to have to give.

Tasha put her pale, thin hand on Sabra's arm, misinterpreting her daughter's sigh. "Your cousin is one of the most accident prone people I have ever seen, Sab. She's survived worse than this. Don't worry. She's going to be just fine." She covered her mouth, doubling over as a coughing fit racked her body.

Sabra nodded, silently making a decision that would hopefully get her at least some temporary help in caring for her mother as she leaned over the chair and massaged her mother's back through the coughing fit to help her get the stuff up out of her lungs. She looked down into her mother's sunken eyes, eyes that shone brighter than usual because of the dark circles surrounding them. "Mom? I've got spring break coming up this week. I can get us to Forks by Monday. Can we please go visit them?" She took a deep breath and revealed another reason that she wanted to go to Forks. "This would be a great opportunity to finally get Dr. Cullen to take a look at your case. Uncle Charlie is always talking about how he's the best doctor ever."

Tasha sigh and looked up into her daughter's eyes. She had never been able to deny her little girl anything, especially since she had lost so much. "I don't know, baby girl. You've never driven that much by yourself before, and I can't drive at all anymore."

Sabra resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Mom, I've been driving for two years. I can get us to Forks and home again."

Tasha took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay." She gave Sabra a tired smile. "Let's do it. I'll call your Uncle Charlie back and let him know we'll be leaving in the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

It had been two hours into the drive, and Sabra hadn't made much of a dent in the miles they would be traveling. She tried to keep her eyes focused on the road, but occasionally her eyes would carefully glance over at her sleeping mother. Tasha had fallen asleep pretty much as soon as their journey had begun. Releasing a small sigh, Sabra reached to turn the radio on. Ever since she had lost her father, she seemed to be unable to cope for long in silent situations.

The death of her father had hit Sabra the hardest, not only because she had to grow up quickly and take care of her mother after she had gotten sick, but due to the fact that she had been unable to grieve. Instead, she had to take care of a mother who completely closed herself off from everyone who tried to come near her.

Sabra had only taken her eyes off the road for a second, but the moment her eyes were fixed back on the road, she had to swerve to avoid colliding with another vehicle. Sighing, the young girl pulled over at the next service station. Quickly exiting the vehicle, she groaned. It had all become too much for her to handle alone; it was as if the roles were reversed between her and her mother.

After another three hours on the road Sabra gave herself a twenty minute break to have a drink, a small snack, and to use the restroom. She had been debating getting help for a while, but it never seemed to be the right time. This seemed like the perfect time opportunity to get help from her Uncle Charlie.

As soon as the break was up, Sabra was back in the car and continuing their journey. After another couple of hours, the young girl realized just how tired she was. She decided that she would pull into the next hotel she came to.

Sabra pulled slowly into the drive of the hotel, parking the car and looking over at her mother. She gently shook her, waking her up and helping her out of the car and up into the reception area. Almost stumbling at her weight, she gently sat her down in one of the chairs before making her way over to the receptionist.

"Just the one night, please." Sabra spoke in a mere whisper, smiling gently as the receptionist held out their room key and shaking her head when asked if she needed any help. She had always been alone with her mother, so she didn't see the need in getting a stranger's help. It wasn't that she didn't need it, but it was more of the fact that she wasn't used to it.

As Sabra entered the room, practically carrying Tasha, she collapsed upon the bed and dropped her mother next to her. Her eyes appeared to close without her realizing it before she dropped off into a deep, almost paralytic, sleep.

Sabra groaned as she opened her eyes hours later. She glanced across at the clock on the table next to the bed and cursed under her breath. It well past noon. She had lost out on half the day, through what she would call her own stupidity. She was determined to make up for it, swearing to herself that she would drive the rest of the afternoon and all night to ensure she made up for the time she had lost.

Sabra quickly moved from the bed and woke her mother up, helping her into the bathroom to freshen up. As soon as they were both ready, they made their way through the hotel to the reception area. Even after more than twelve hours of sleep, Sabra still had visible bags under her eyes and skin that was a lot paler than it should be for someone her age.

As soon as Sabra turned in the key to their room, they both got back in the car and were soon back on the highway. She glanced over at her mother, who was quietly eating the small bag of chips that she had bought. It wasn't much, but Tasha hadn't been able to hold much down since her cancer had gotten worse. It was another stress that Sabra had to deal with.

Tasha looked over at her daughter... her drained but so strong daughter. She had never wanted to admit that she was near death. She was scared of leaving her daughter all alone. She had been offered help in the past, but she always denied it. She had always felt she could do everything alone since losing her husband, but she was forced more and more to receive help from her own daughter and it killed her to have to do it when she knew how much it was hurting her little girl.

Tasha turned her attention back to the window closest to her. A small bird had just taken flight from a tree, it's silver tipped wings shining bright in the sunlight. This small action was enough to bring a soft smile to the older woman's lips, a smile that hadn't been present for as long as she could remember. She couldn't explain it, especially to herself, but the closer they were getting to Forks the more hope was flaring inside of her.


	3. Chapter 3

The road seemed to stretch endlessly before Sabra as she drove along, the windshield wipers moving in a constant rhythm that threatened to put her to sleep. She had the radio blaring, hoping that it wouldn't disturb her mother who had stretched out on the back seat during their last break in their traveling. She kept glancing in the rear view mirror to check on her, swerving sometimes as she nodded off herself.

Sabra shook her head, rolling her window down despite the rain. She was so close to Forks. It was only a few miles up the road. She had to keep going. She had succeeded in making up the time she had lost by sleeping past noon that day, but now it was a little after midnight. Her uncle wasn't expecting them to arrive until the following day, but she knew he wouldn't mind being woke up in the middle of the night... especially if it meant that he would be getting to see his baby sister earlier.

The deputy watched the swerving car as it passed by his location, sitting in his car on a side road between La Push and Forks. He shook his head, muttering something about drunks and rain as he pulled out onto the highway and hit his lights and siren.

Sabra sighed as she heard the siren, glancing into the rear view mirror. She stared, wide-eyed, as she pulled over to the side of the road. She felt like she was in some kind of thick fog as the deputy approached the driver's side of the car. "Problem?" she inquired, her words slurred.

The deputy shook his head as he spotted the young teenager behind the wheel, and then his gaze fell onto the woman in the back. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded. He reached up and pushed a button on the hand held radio attached to the loop on the shoulder of his uniform shirt. "I've got a young female... appears to be around the age of thirteen... driving recklessly with an adult female passed out in the back."

There was static on the radio before a female voice was heard. "Sounds fishy to me... I'll call the Chief... get him to come out to your location. Keep everyone where they are. I'll call Dr. Cullen to meet you guys out there to check out the woman."

Sabra felt tears pool in her eyes as she heard the woman's words. Her shoulders started shaking from both shock and relief. "Uncle Charlie's coming?" She moved to open the door and get out.

"Whoa!" the deputy shouted. He put his hand on the door to prevent her from opening it, trying to decipher the girl's slurred words. "Uncle Charlie?" His eyes widened. "Are you Sabra?" He heard another car approaching but ignored it, assuming it was either the Chief or Dr. Cullen.

Sabra stared up at the deputy and nodded. "How'd you know my name?" Her eyes rolled slightly in her head.

"Your uncle has done nothing but talk about the arrival of his baby sister and favorite niece for the past two days," Dr. Cullen explained as he approached the car. He nodded to the deputy and opened up the driver's door of the car, kneeling down to check the young girl over. He glanced up at the deputy. "This girl is not drunk. She's exhausted, mentally and physically. She needs lots of fluids, some food, and a long sleep."

Sabra shook her head, looking into the back seat. "I c-can't... Momma needs me..." She stared at Dr. Cullen. "I have to take care of her. She depends on me. Please... don't make me sleep."

Dr. Cullen sighed, looking over as another set of headlights approached. He stood back up and held up a hand, palm out, toward the car before looking back at the girl. "That is your uncle. Stay here with the deputy while I go discuss things with him. I promise that you and your mother are going to be well taken care of here."

Charlie jumped out of his car, calling on all of his self-control not to rush over after he saw Dr. Cullen's signal to stay back and wait. He ran one hand through his hair as he waited for the doctor to join him, pacing nervously. He jumped when he turned and found Dr. Cullen directly behind him. "I hate it when you do that!" He took a deep breath. "How are they?"

"I have not looked at your sister yet," Dr. Cullen responded. "Your niece is dehydrated, malnourished, and in need of several hours of sleep. Unfortunately, she's not being too cooperative about being taken to the hospital." He looked over at Charlie. "I have a potential solution for that, if you would be willing to consider it."

Charlie looked a little confused. "What would that be?"

"There are only two bedrooms in your house, and you and Bella are currently occupying them," Dr. Cullen started explaining. "Since both your niece and sister are going to require medical care, I would like to offer them the ability to stay out at our house. We have plenty of room, and you and Bella are welcome any time. As soon as the two of them are better, they'll be able to stay at your house if that's what you would all prefer."

Charlie hesitated, glancing over at his sister's car. He really wanted his sister with him, but he knew his sister. She wouldn't agree to go to the hospital any easier than Sabra was, and Dr. Cullen was right about the fact that he didn't really have the space in his house to take care of two ill women. He had his hands full as it was with an injured Bella. Finally, he sighed and nodded. "Thanks, Dr. Cullen. I appreciate you putting them up until they're better."

Dr. Cullen smiled, slapping Charlie lightly on the back of his shoulder. "I'm happy to do it, Charlie." He gestured over to the car. "Go spend some time with your family. I'm going to call Emmett and have him come pick up their car and take it out to the house. I'll take them out in my car."


End file.
